'48 Dodge Panel Truck

[Guest]

Hey Jed,
SHEW!!! You had me scared you was going to loose your truck. I hope it all works out. That was almost a nightmare!!! Keep us posted!!!
Richard D. Hord

[Guest]

Got another letter from St of MN DVS today telling me that my 48 Dodge Panel doesn't qualify for Classic plates and registration because; in order to qualify for Classic Class the vehicle must be on a special list determined by statutes and at this time there are no Dodges on the list. They do go on to tell me that my 48 does qualify for the Collector Class. So as collector I shall ammend the registration and would imagine that since I am not part of the Special Class, therefore I shall be entitled to some of my $200 application fee to be refunded. Kinda odd that the clerk at the DVS office wouldn't have known this when I applied for Classic. Also makes me wonder that since the Classic Class is set up by Legislative State Statute, isn't it odd that elected officials are allowed to delve into choosing vehicles for special classes. Guess none of our esteemed state legislators have a favorite old Dodge in their car collections. Doesn't make any difference to me if my 48 is either Classic or Collector. I had just asked for a special old vehicle license plate classification when I filled out the paper work.

And so the continuing saga of the old '48 "Dewey" goes.

[simplyconnected]

Jed, your story turned out pretty good. Now I see why the purchase price was so low. The guy you bought it from had no title or claim (officially); which begs another option:

Why didn't the storage company apply for a title after six (7, or 8) years on their lot?

Seems to me, he sold stolen property. Sounds harsh, but I don't know any other way to say it. I don't know if he ever tried to contact the rightful owner via newspapers, Motor Vehicle, etc. If he cannot show evidence, he can't claim abandonment and the State is no wiser.

I think the lesson from this story is, check with the state for clear title before paying. After all, you could be thrown in jail for being in possession of stolen property, be out $600, and they take the truck. You came out a winner because the title owner relented, thank God. I wonder what the outcome would have been if her last hubby were still around...? What would YOU do if you were he? For $700 and a clear title, you lucked out.

Michigan (being the motor capital) recognizes any car or truck over 25 yrs old to be a historical vehicle. Our plates and registration fees are $30 and the plates expire in TEN years. We can also use year-specific plates for an added fee. There are no inspections but insurance is manditory.- Dave

[Guest]

As it turns out I have been able to gleen a bit of information about the previous owner (who absconded) from both the Transport company and from the Titled owner. The transport company had done some checking with/thru the AZ St police and found out the guy was in jail or something. Just this week I had learned from the Titled owner that the guy, in fact, was in fact in jail, but even worse he's in the AZ St pen doing 20 years for what offense I do not know.

Yes indeed Monday night I did have the nighmarish thought that maybe since I was now in possession of the truck, maybe the county sheriff would show up with a tow truck and arrest me for a stolen vehicle. But felt great relief when the Title owner lady called me Weds morn and told me she would sign over to me.

It's kind of odd in MN that when titling a vehicle in a corporate entity name, no proof of a driver's license, proof of vehicle insurance, or even proof of the corporate name filing is required.

[Guest]

Today visited the lady with the title in her name. She signed it over to me and I gave her a $100 bill. Then went to the MN State DVS office and got everything changed around to receive official copies with the the old 48 now properly titled in my name in the correct Collector's vehicle classification. I applied for the title in my corporation's name, thusly no questions were asked of me for vehicle insurance or even my driver's license number. It was all too easy. The new title and the license plate will be mailed to me in few weeks. So now I have the confidence to start working on and spending money on the truck. It was a happy day!

[Guest]

Hey Jed,
Congratulations!!! That was almost a nightmare
Richard D. Hord

[Dutchbird]

Hi Jed,

Congrats on how it turned out after all...........(poeh)
Good luck with your Dodge-project, nothing beats this great start!

[Coral]

Congrats Jed!

[simplyconnected]

Jed, I'm happy to know we don't have to visit you in the pokey. I think the 'Title Lady' realized you were honestly trying to do the right thing. Turns out, she is honorable, too. Congratulations for man-ing up to the situation. This episode tells volumes about your integrity and your honest character. - Dave

[Dan Leavens]

Jed: WOW " Perhaps stolen " & " 20 years in jail " sounds like a recipe for quick restoration and paint. Congrats.

[Dakota Boy]

No title? No license?

No problem.... just turn it into the next "Grave Digger" style monster truck and join the circuit of arena and stadium shows.

[Guest]

Thanks everyone for your cheers and accolades. All is now well with the title application. The truck is now in my name and the plate and official title will be in the mail to me from the State shortly. I now sleep much better at night. So with my official ownership and anxiousness to get started, had some fairly warm weather today (25F), so thought I’d do some putzing around with the truck. I knew that the front wheels were not lugged onto studs into the drum, the wheels are instead bolted onto the drums with ½”-20tpi lug bolts. Thought I’d pull the drums, grease the bearings and put in new studs into the drums so I could mount the wheel with lug nuts. Simple process right? That is until I find the wheel cylinder is frozen open and driving the shoes into the drum making the drum impossible to remove and or turn. There is no adjusting hole in the backing plate to back off the shoes. Hmm, guess I now have to weld up a special bar and bracket to use as a giant wheel/drum puller and yank that darn drum off. Anybody have similar experiences that resulted in success, or any ideas to release the shoes and remove the drum? The upside of this is that now I will be able to put rebuild kits into the wheel cylinders right away. Probably replace all of the brake lines and rebuilt the master cylinder as well. Sure is nice to have another project.

[Dan Leavens]

Jed I am sure after all the investigation, cloak and dagger stuff and the fact that you now have the title, the rest will go fairly simple Keep the pixs coming.

[Dan Leavens]

Jed good news. I was watching Barrett Jackson from Scottsdale last night and a 49 Ford F1 Panel truck rolled across the ramp. ( Lot # 7091 if you want to go on their website ) Nice restoration period green, wide whites, V6, one (1) wiper and a cool add on, ashtray attached to the inside of the window. Sold for $33K, so hang in there on your restoration.

[Guest]

Jed good news. I was watching Barrett Jackson from Scottsdale last night and a 49 Ford F1 Panel truck rolled across the ramp. ( Lot # 7091 if you want to go on their website ) Nice restoration period green, wide whites, V6, one (1) wiper and a cool add on, ashtray attached to the inside of the window. Sold for $33K, so hang in there on your restoration.

Dan, yes indeed that is quite the inspiration. Went to the site and took a peek at it. Thanks for the heads-up. The site listed the sale at $36.5K. My 48 Dodge still's got a long way to go.